Soul of Korea

We absolutely love Korean food and have lived in Korea while we were in the military so we’re always looking for authentic Korean restaurants to eat at. When we moved to Tampa we found Soul of Korea near the University of South Florida. It is a small restaurant in a nondescript strip mall but it’s clean, nicely decorated and the staff is very friendly. We always order yaki mandu as an appetizer and bulgogi. I had spicy pork and my wife had beef bulgogi. We also had all the kimchee side dishes which we always enjoy. The food came out pretty quick, it was hot, very tasty and the portions were pretty big. Soul of Korea is very authentic, the cooks and staff were all Korean. There was a steady stream of take out orders and it wasn’t crowded because we got there when they opened. The prices were reasonable for the amount and quality of food you get. We definitely recommend this place if you like Korean food or want to try it. It’s our "go to" Korean restaurant.

This is the first time every dish we ordered was delicious and amazing!! This small restaurant is managed by two very efficient ladies!! I read other reviews and they were pretty harsh on this small business. If you have any business sense, you should understand how expensive and difficult it is these days to find and retain labor. We were a party of five. We were greeted and seated immediately upon arrival. One of the ladies brought us menus and took our drink order swiftly. I observed how they worked, and noticed how quick they are cleaning the table after customers leave!! She brought our appetizers fairly quickly ( we had kids with us who were very hungry) and our main dishes followed shortly afterwards The lady kept checking with us, and refilling our drinks despite the restaurant being full!! Prices were in line with other restaurants but the food quality was very good I would go back in a heartbeat. It’s just that I live an hour away!! I love to support small businesses, especially when they’re run by women!! To the reviewer who gave it one star, you should blame DoorDash, not penalize this business!! Go there if you like authentic Korean food, you will not regret it!!

I went there today with my family members. As always the food, presentation, service, everything were top notch. We ordered Beef bulgogi, Ojingeo bokkum, and Kanpunggi. And all of these were as good as we tasted in Korea. And best of all, they serve Halal food... 😁

The restaurant has simple deco but the service is good. The food portion is generous, but the seafood pancake has a different texture (fluffy) and the buguki is a bit bland. However, it's still a good place to eat.

The workers here are not honest!!! They charged me for a cup of hot water without letting me know first. It happened twice. The first time when it happened, I asked for a piece of lemon to go with the hot water. They charged me but I didn't argue. The second time I only asked for a cup of hot water without lemon, they charged me again. I confronted the manager, and it took a long time for the refund to be processed. If they listed hot water as a charged item on their menu, I would understand and pay for it. Otherwise, it is stealing! They also charged me $47 for a hot pot, which only had some onions and kimchi with some hot dog, no other meat (see picture below). It was ridiculously expensive! I could have gone to a Korean all you can eat hot pot buffet, have had all different meats and vegetables, and only had spend around $30! I have to mention that they served cold fried chicken. Yes! Fried chicken was reheated but had a lot of cold spots. This happened at another time we went there. I really gave them many chances, but they obviously tried to cut corners to do business. I won't go there any more. It is a rip-off!!!

08/06/2025 Dinner: It may look small as a business, but the flavor and portion size is big! The service is wonderful. It felt cozy and like at home. Ordered the kalbi-tang and the al-jiggae. If you have never been here, it is worth the drive. Thank you for making the food like my mom used to make. The cucumber kimchi and cabbage kimchi is soooo good!

I love the dinner for two meal. Offer a GREAT variety amount to have a bit of everything! Japachae, galbi, bulgogi, spicy tofu soup, fried fish, pancake, tifu and many ban chan... galbi was good but could've been cooked better < usual slightly browned > and more sauce for japachae.. other than that...well worth the eat for variety! Chicken wings was ok. Not ur usual fried wings.